Consonance Conditioner
by Novalia1001
Summary: When Sven goes out for the day, Train offers to help Eve with a trivial task: to wash her hair!


This fan fiction is purely based on the manga Black Cat.

**Consonance Conditioner**

Umi City was a magnificent paradise floating on the foam of the waves. Over-looking the horizon the magnificent ancient stone structures stood embedded in history, being scarred by modern day weaponry and the parasitic vices of villains with glorious bounties on their heads.

The sweepers of Umi were never at rest, but a nomadic trio managed to find peace and relaxation among the many unending chases of sweeper and prey. Finally able to capture their four thousand dollar worth target, Sven, Train and Eve relaxed in their rented apartment, a temporary comfortable abode, and somewhat silent.

The green haired white suited gentleman gently opened the door to his ward's room, smiling when he saw her perfect posture still not moving from her cross legged position on the white sheets, rosy eyes set on the thick hard cover novel before her.

"Um, Eve," Sven tried to call her attention.

"Yes?" her monotone voice responded, though physically she simply turned the page.

"I'm going out to get groceries, alright? Anything you want?"

"A book," she responded, still not looking up. Sven placed his hat on his head while asking:

"Any in particular?"

"Not really." Sven nodded slowly, fighting back the comical urge to sweat-drop.

"Alright then, see you later, Eve."

"Bye, Sven."

The door closed softly.

"Train!" Sven's voice rattled through the apartment. Eve blinked, turning another page. "Where is that boy? Dang it… you could never find him when you need him: stupid cat."

The apartment door closed and the apartment was swallowed in silence once more.

Three gunshots rattled over the wash of calm waves. With Hades smoking and secure in professional hands, a pair of sharp eyes watched the flying can becoming victim to gravity once again. He aimed:

Five consecutive shots hit the can expertly and it fell to the concrete rooftop with a noisy 'clank'. In calm and collected strides, twenty three year old Train held the unused cylindrical aluminium in his right hand, his dominant left tucking away his trusty weapon into its ebony sheath. He smirked on observing only two holes throughout the entire object.

"That's how it ought to be!" he cried before throwing the can up again. "Now, with my eyes closed."

Pointing Hades vertically above his head, he fired again, blinking when he heard no metal against metal. The can fell on his head, completely untouched.

"Hmm," the adolescent groaned, fingers soothing a throbbing cranium, "Maybe it's too early for 'Blind Fire', eh?"

"Train?" A dull, soft voice made him turn around to meet Eve, standing in the shade with a towel and two bottles in her arms. Without giving it a thought he grinned.

"Hey, princess, what can I do for ya?"

"Have you seen Sven?"

Train hid his gun in the sling again, his smile falling as he tried to remember the latest location of the green haired sweeper.

"Sven?" he repeated, "Ah, yeah, I think I heard him tell you that he was going shopping."

She frowned. "He didn't tell me anything," she objected. Train sighed.

"Were you reading earlier?"

"Yes."

"That's probably why," he concluded, he smirked with a shrug. "Why'd you need him, anyway? Anything I could help with?"

"I'd prefer if Sven did it," she said instantly, turning on her heel. "It's fine: I'll wait for him."

Train stared after her a moment before noticing a difference in appearance. Her hair looked more like a muddy brown rather than the usual golden blonde. He frowned.

"Hey, princess," She turned.

"Can't you wash your own hair?"

She glared at him. Despite the imaginary flames than furiously exploded around her, her narrowed eyes on his was deathly cold.

Train shivered. Talk about Freezing Inferno.

Without a word she walked down the steps of the building and Train couldn't help but smirk as he looked down at the can in his hand.

"I think that's enough practice for today."

Eve sat on the couch with the washing necessities waiting patiently beside her. Every so often, soft coloured eyes would glance up to the analogue clock that seemed to be telling her the same time for the past twenty minutes before continuing to read the book that kept on saying the same three sentences.

The ticking was endless.

Eve suppressed the urge to transform an appendage into a hammer, or any other heavy weapon that she would gladly smash that clock to pieces.

She then remembered that it wasn't their property.

Holding back a curse that she had learnt during a difficult mission (when both Train and Sven had cursed at the same time with Eve present), she sighed and found the fourth sentence.

"You shouldn't sigh so much, lil' princess," with tense shoulders, she turned to meet the grinning Train. "A superstition I heard is that if you sigh so much, you lose an ounce of blood."

Eve stared at him unbelievably as he placed a finger on his chin. "Or was it a pint?" he pondered. Without comment, Eve returned to her novel, a hand tentatively going up to scratch her scalp…

A hand stopped her.

"What do you want, Train?" she sounded content, but he knew better. She was seething.

"Scratch your head so much, all of your hair is going to fall out!"

She turned to him worriedly, eyes wide, but still partially suspicious. "Seriously?"

"Sure, if you want to believe it," he responded with a shrug. Eve yanked her hand away and turned back to her book.

_Yeash, tough crowd. _He thought bitterly. "Sven probably isn't coming home until late,"

"I'll wait."

"And he'd probably be tired from shopping all day."

"I'll wait,"

"And we'll probably be busy for a few more days to weeks once all the money's gone."

She remained silent, though her expression was unreadable. It always was, unless you knew her. "You can't wait forever, Eve."

"What are you implying?"

"I could wash your hair for you," he offered, that cattish grin across his features again.

"No thank you." She said crisply.

_An immediate response, _He thought, _How nostalgic._

He smiled. She was still just a kid after all.

His presence still unmoving hadn't in the least unnerved Eve, though she hated being alone in a silent place. Slowly and very carefully, she closed the book.

"Are you ready then?" Train asked. She nodded. "Okay, follow me."

"The water's cold," Eve complained, wiping water from her face.

"That can't be helped," Train responded.

Kneeling over the tub, Eve had her head beneath the running water, Train standing over her and rinsing out the second wash. He noticed that her face was flushed and he instantly thought that the blood was rushing to her head.

"Hey, you okay? Are you upside down too much?"

"No, I'm fine," she responded with a slight shake of her head. He wanted to question further, but he let it slide as his fingers did through her soft hair. Eve felt her toes curl in the mat.

For an assassin, he was really gentle.

Despite the water being cold, Eve acknowledged that her forehead and neck was too warm for her liking. Her fingers brushed over her thorax at the thought. And then she felt her pulse were her neck was the hottest: rapid pleasure blood racing beneath her skin. Her eyebrows twitched. It was an uncomfortable feeling that had weaved its way through her throat, chest and lower stomach.

Was she hungry? It felt far more different than that, and she had eaten recently. Train's fingers in her golden roots came to mind again. She groaned softly.

"Eve…?" Trained tilted to look at her. For some reason, that worried look he had didn't soothe her any more. Reject instantly came to her mind.

"I'm fine," she stated, "Just hungry."

He took it as a suitable response. "Yeah, I wonder what's taking Sven so long."

"He wouldn't get hurt, would he?" Eve asked, pushing away the feeling.

"Who, Sven? No way!"

She smiled. "Then again…" he smile fell and she immediately remembered Sven's words upon leaving.

"Stupid cat…" she whispered.

"Huh?" Train tried to look at her face again, "Did you say something?"

She shook her head. "Are you almost done?"

"Yeah," the water turned off and Train stood. Eve wrung out her hair as she stood to her feet and a towel fell on her head. Very familiar hands rubbed her hair through the towel, and the warmth flared.

Train pulled the towel down from her face, blinking a moment before smirking. She was blushing, and cutely at that. Unintentionally he began to lean forward…

"Hey, what's…" Sven's voice came from the door. He froze, staring at the scene of Eve's hair, wet, Train in front of her, too close for comfort, almost looked as if he were about to…

The small half paid for car rattled on the dirt road as they left Umi City, Eve seated in front with a new book named 'Ancient Politics' in her lap, and Train growling at the driver from the back seat, his hands… handcuffed.

"For crying out loud, Sven! Gimmie the key already!" he yelled, kicking the driver's seat. The car swerved slightly.

"Calm down back there!" Sven yelled back, "And that's punishment! Eve is six years too young for that sort of act you tried to pull back there!"

"What act?" Eve asked suddenly, turning to both men. Train turned to Sven, grinning.

"Yeah, what act?" he teased. Sven's hands twitched on the wheel.

"An act that Eve is six years too young for, that's what!" Sven proclaimed. Eve turned back to her book as they continued their verbal (and to a lesser extent physical) battle. Discreetly, she looked out the window, her cheek brushing the thick braid over her shoulder, and her cheeks reddened again as she smiled.

Six years later, she'll find out what that act is.

**End**


End file.
